1. Field of the Invention
The invention concerns a toothbrush that self corrects a user's improper lateral stroking practice into dentist recommended up and down motion of the bristles.
2. The Related Art
Oral care professionals promote brushing that simulates a rolling action. Brush strokes that move up and down are recommended so that the bristles can contact intratooth crevices and massage rather than hurt the gingival (gum) margins. Most people, even though they know it is the incorrect way to brush, practice a lateral in and out stroke which for ergonomic reasons is more natural.
A partial solution to incorrect stroking is use of segmented brushheads. The literature has reported a variety of segmented head toothbrushes. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 4,776,054 (Rauch) describes a toothbrush for efficient cleaning of the teeth, the area under the sulcus and between the teeth and for massage and stimulation of the gums. In one of its embodiments (FIGS. 8-9), the patent describes a brushhead formed with several slits to effect the flexibility of outer brushhead segments.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,472,853 (Rauch) describes through FIGS. 9-11 certain embodiments involving a brush body with flexible members of segments which permit the bristles to retract when force is applied to their ends.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,864,676 (Schaiper) describes a brushhead formed of a plurality of head sections being resiliently movable relative to each other and each being provided with one or more bristle tufts.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,184,368 (Holland) discloses a toothbrush that includes a plurality of bristle holders spring-urged outwardly from the brushhead. In certain of the embodiments, the brushhead is pivotally mounted to the handle.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,269,038 (Bradley) reports on a toothbrush that provides side-to-side stroking action in concert with an up-down motion. The brushhead includes two pair of elongate bristle-carrying pads hingedly attached to the head by a relatively thin web having an hour-glass cross sectional shape.
Even though there have been many disclosures directed at improving toothbrushes, there still is room for further innovation. The art has not totally resolved the primary problem of reaching all tooth surfaces, which are a series of complex curves, gaps and valleys within and between teeth. These surfaces cannot be reached by prior art brushheads since these are limited in their total deflection. Neither have the brushes of the prior art been able to totally resolve incorrect brushing technique practiced by many users.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a toothbrush with improved characteristics for reaching the entirety of tooth surfaces.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a toothbrush that enables a user despite incorrect stroking to convert lateral motion into a corrected up and down movement of the bristles.
These and other objects of the present invention will become more apparent through consideration of the following summary, detailed description and drawing.